Huawei Watch GT information accidentally published by Huawei ahead of launch

Unlike Google, which managed to leak every single thing about it’s Pixel 3 launch event, Huawei has remained somewhat more tight-lipped about its Mate 20 launch scheduled for this week in London.

However, I use the term somewhat, because it appears that overnight, someone in Huawei accidentally published the product information pages for the Huawei Watch GT, and though the mistake was quickly recognised, once it’s out, it’s out.

Some of the details were already known from other sources; the Huawei Watch GT will feature a 1.39-inch, 454×454 AMOLED touchscreen, powered by a Cortex-M4 processor and 420 mAh battery. Huawei is quoting up to 30 days battery life in watch mode, two weeks in normal usage, and 22 hours with GPS active.

There’s a heart rate monitor on the back, and the device is 5ATM water resistant. It weighs 46g without a strap. It has a 316L stainless steel shell and ceramic bezels. It comes with PVD coating to repel fingerprint smudges.

Although we suspected this element, it’s now confirmed: Huawei Watch GT will not run Wear OS or any other major wearable platform, instead it will be run some sort of bespoke OS created by Huawei. While this will deliver activity and sleep tracking, and notifications, it probably won’t have apps in the way we understand them.

A bonus for GPS nuts is compatibility with all 4 major location systems, so GPS/GLONASS/Beidou/Galileo are on board.

A magnetic charging base will charge the watch in two hours or less, and the price won’t hurt your wallet too badly – the estimated Australian price is about $325. That’s a fairly affordable smartwatch compared to the $500 – $1000 monsters from Samsung and Apple, and though there may be some reduced functionality, this watch may do everything most users want.

Here’s the full specifications:

• 5ATM rating (Waterproof and Dust Proof)
• Bis Physical key touch push button
• Weight of 46 Grams (without strap)
• TruSeen 3.0 Heart rate monitor
• 1.39-inch AMOLED retina color display with 454 x 454 pixels resolution, 100% color saturation
• Cortex-M4 processor
• Call alerts, Message alerts, Notifications, Steps counter, distance, calories consumed
• Activity tracking (outdoor / indoor running, walking, cycling, swimming, hiking etc.)
• 420 mAh battery with 2 weeks of usage, 30 days on watch mode, 22 hours on GPS mode
• Magnetic Charging base with <2 hours charging time.
• Supports GPS + GLONASS + Beidou / Galileo, NFC (TBC)
• Accelerometer, Gyro sensor, Geomagnetic compass, optical heart rate sensor, Air pressure sensor, Ambient light sensor

The only unknown from me is what payment platforms it will support. With built-in NFC, there’s many options, and I hope Huawei manages to arrange some local partnerships with Australian banks.